âWang Qiang arrived very early. He was already here when I arrived, but I didnât meet him. However, I did hear some news about him. Heâs quite a mysterious figure. He was recently taken in by the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion,â Xianhai Shaoyu said.
âDo you know what he looks like?â Chu Feng asked.
He was getting more and more convinced that this was the Wang Qiang he knew.
âI donât know, but since heâs already here, itâs only a matter of time before we meet,â Xianhai Shaoyu said.
âIâm actually more curious about Yuwen Yanri,â Long Chengyu remarked.
âIs there something interesting about Yuwen Yanri?â Chu Feng asked.
âYuwen Yanriâs grandfather is the incumbent Divine Body Heavenly Mansionâs Mansion Master, whereas his father was the most talented cultivator in the world of cultivation two thousand years ago, towering above other cultivators.
âHowever, his fatherâs good days didnât last long, as he later fell ill and had to recuperate for more than a thousand years. A few years back, we received news that his father passed away. No one could have thought that he would die just like that. After all, he was thought to be the next successor of the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion, and many thought that he would bring it to greater heights.
âIt was said that Yuwen Yanriâs talent surpassed that of his father, but no one has seen him to date. Even within the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion, there were only a small handful of people who had seen him. Heâs even more elusive than my big sister,â Long Chengyu said.
Long Muxi glanced at his younger brother upon hearing those words.
âBut he has to be weaker than Wang Qiang, or else the Nine Heavensâ Zenith wouldnât have invited Wang Qiang instead of him,â Little Fishy remarked.
âThatâs hard to say. But speaking of which, whatâs with those Huangfus? How is it that their results are better than Brother Shaoyuâs?â Long Chengyu asked.
Little Fishy was surprised, âWho? Who did better than my big brother?â
She didnât participate in the test as she was invited straight into the Nine Heavensâ Zenith, so she didnât know the situation there.
Long Chengyu shared the details concerning the ranking.
âHahaha!â Little Fishy burst into laughter. She mischievously pointed her finger at Xianhai Shaoyu and said, âBig brother, arenât you too embarrassing? Itâs one thing if one or two people surpass you, but five people actually did better than you!â
âBrother Shaoyuâs strength is known to be the strongest in the world of cultivation. He must have slacked off in the test,â Long Chengyu said.
Unexpectedly, Xianhai Shaoyu shook his head and said, â I didnât slack off.â
Both Long Chengyu and Little Fishy, who were mocking Xianhai Shaoyu earlier, stiffened up. She might have laughed at her brother earlier, but she wasnât doubting his abilities.
âBrother Shaoyu, stop joking. How can anyone fare better than you if you were serious? Other than Brother Chu Feng, I canât imagine anyone outdoing you,â Long Chengyu said with a smile.
He was certain that Xianhai Shaoyu was joking.
The latter smiled in response, choosing not to say anything more about it.
Little Fishy pressed her lips together as she fell into contemplation. She knew her big brother better than anyone else here, which was why she could tell that he wasnât lying. This meant that her big brother was in sixth place despite having done his best.
Without a doubt, those Huangfus were not to be made light of.
It was a rare reunion, so there was no end to the topics for Chu Feng and the others to talk about. In the blink of an eye, the sky had already turned dark, but all of them decided to stay and have a hearty conversation till daylight.
By then, there was hardly anyone in the square. The Nine Heavensâ Zenith had prepared cultivation grounds that would activate at night for everyone in their respective accommodations, so most people had decided to head there to cultivate.
There was only one person standing in the squareâQin Shu. He was so angry that he wasnât in the mood to cultivate at all.
âHm?â Qin Shuâs eyes suddenly lit up.
He noticed the glowing red name, âFeng Lingâ going out, which meant that Feng Ling was leaving her accommodations. Soon, a beautiful figure emerged from the fog and stretched her back. Her casual demeanor looked adorable like a lazy cat.
âMiss Feng Ling,â Qin Shu rushed over and greeted her.
âYou are?â Feng Ling looked at Qin Shu with curious eyes.
âI am Qin Shu, a disciple from the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect. I am Qin Xuanâs younger brother,â Qin Shu introduced himself.
Feng Ling had been to the last Nine Heavensâ Zenith, so Qin Xuan and the others had met her. Qin Xuan had told her that Feng Ling, the prodigy from the Bloodline Galaxy, was no ordinary figure, and it was best not to underestimate her.
For that reason, Qin Shu was exceptionally respectful to Feng Ling.
âOh. I met your big brother before,â Feng Ling replied with an innocent and seemingly harmless smile.
âItâs wonderful that Miss Feng Ling remembers my big brother. I have been waiting here for you under my big brotherâs instruction,â Qin Shu said via voice transmission.
âDoes your big brother need something from me?â Feng Ling blinked her eyes as she spoke with an innocent voice.
âMiss Feng Ling, this Nine Heavensâ Zenith is very different from before. There are many formidable figures gathered here, though our greatest opponent is none other than Chu Feng,â Qin Shu said via voice transmission.
âOh?â Feng Lingâs eyes narrowed upon hearing Chu Fengâs name, but she continued asking with an innocent voice, âAre you referring to Jie Ranqingâs child?â
âYes, thatâs him. Heâs talented, but heâs a despicable and vicious man. I once met him in the Ancient Realm, and heâs particularly skilled in the art of deception. Miss Feng, you must take care not to be fooled by him, or else he might take advantage of you,â Qin Shu said.
âYou have been waiting here to remind me of this?â Feng Ling asked.
âNot just that. The five Huangfus in this Nine Heavensâ Zenith are wild cards. The fact that they did better than Xianhai Shaoyu shows that they are not to be made light of. The three prodigies from the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion are also a force to be reckoned with. You should have heard of Ling Xiao and Jie Baobao, as well as Jie Tian. Xianhai Yuâer and Xianhai Shaoyu from the Immortal Sea Fish Clan are also dangerous figures.
âGiven the threats present here, my big brother wishes to establish a partnership with Miss Feng Ling and support each other through this,â Qin Shu said.
âIs Chu Feng really here?â Feng Ling asked.
âYes, heâs already here. He came here with Long Chengyu, and he appears to be on close terms with Xianhai Shaoyu too. Miss Feng Ling, birds of the same feather flock together. Those who are friends with Chu Feng canât be good people either. We need to work together to deal with those black sheeps,â Qin Shu said.
âAll right, I understand,â Feng Ling replied with a smile before returning to her accommodations.
Seeing how easily the innocent Feng Ling took in his words, Qin Shu revealed a sly smile and murmured, âShe might be strong, but sheâs too naive.â
On the other hand, after returning to her accommodations, Feng Ling mumbled under her breath, âI wanted to take a breather, but I ended up bumping into a nasty insect. What bad luck.â
She then looked at the sky with expectant eyes and said, âSo, Chu Feng came in the end? It wonât be too boring here then.â